Fast & Furious is one of the most profitable film franchises in the history of cinema. Most of its installments have earned massive bucks at the box office, and a number of fans continue to faithfull follow the high-octane adventures of Dominic Toretto and his crew. Universal Pictures’ big-screen property has seen its share of peaks and valleys and just recently experienced one of the latter. F9 was recently hit with a fine worth over a million dollars, and the situation involves one of the stunt performers who worked on the production. Apparently, the individual in question suffered “life-changing” injuries and, now, we have more details on the matter.
A U.K. court handed Universal subsidiary FF9 Productions the over $1 million fine after the company pleaded guilty to violating the country’s Health and Safety at Work Act. According to Variety, the plaintiff – seasoned stuntman Joe Watts – experienced trauma to his brain as well as a skull fracture while working on the 2021 blockbuster. This apparently happened after a failed stunt resulted in him being thrown 25 feet onto a concrete floor. It was ultimately discovered that his stunt vest had become unattached. And per the Health and Safety Executive, the company didn’t make note of a “rope snap or link failure” amid the risk assessment. Roxanne Baker, an inspector for the HSE, also said the following:
